I am thinking of a trip thru Europe with an RV (small motorhome) and I am hoping some of you can make some suggestions for good launch areas. I'm an advanced rider (and instructor), can handle most anything, I love waveriding and down-wind rides, flat water spots OK too.

If you started in June and travelled thru October where would your ideal route take you, what kind of wind reliability can I expect?

Also, any knowledge about overnight options with the RV (it's small one - only 7m long) would be helpful. Is it difficult to find free places to park and sleep? or do you need to be in a campground to avoid trouble with the police?

Any information is appreciated, a libation for anyone who wants to offer some advice who I might meet along the way!

start in southern Spain - Gibraltar, Tarifa, work yourself up to southern France, then on to Italy - Tuscany, Sardegna, then take a ferry to Greece, July and August in the Aegais rocks,and by all means try to go to Rhodes.
If you prefer cooler temperatures and less sun there are some pretty hot spots in northern France - Bretagne, Holland and northern Germany, you could also continue on towards Poland, Estonia ...
Oh, did I mention Portugal? Great Britain?

There are endless options, make sure your wallet is stuffed with money though

I have been to Tarifa back in 1989 (windsurfing...pre-kiting) and that was a cool spot, but I'm not big on the crowded riding spots.

The RV idea was to hopefully save money. If I have a relatively free place to stay, my own transportation with decent gas mileage (I'm getting 22+ mpg with the turbo diesel - whats the European conversion on that?), the rest is normal expenses (food and other basics). Perhaps this could make a 4-6 month trip affordable.

Has anyone been to the island of Gotland, Sweden? A kitesurfing friend has invited me to visit.

well, Tarifa's not that crowded yet in June, at least by european standards, you should go there in July/August - now that's crowded.

If you're travelling by RV to save money - great idea, just keep in mind that it's illegal in most european countries to camp on your own, so if you don't want to risk paying some pretty stiff tickets, you're limited to public camping grounds, and they can be pretty expensive during the high-season June thru August, especially RVs.

I'm too lazy to figure out the european equivalent to 22mpg, it's pretty good though, but in case you didn't know already, one liter diesel averages about 1.10 Euros, about 1.30$. If I'm not mistaken that translates into 5 bucks a gallon. Did I mention the stuffed wallet? Now you know why.

I've never been to Gotland, but I hear it's awesome, the women there are just... wait a minute, this is a kite forum, isn't it?

I understand what you are saying about the stuffed wallet. Diesel here in the US is now between $2.30-$2.60/gal...1/2 of EU costs.

For overnighting here in the US we have several options:

-short term camping on private property if it's not against local rules
-privately run camp grounds...$20 to $80 (unusual)/nt depending on location and season.
-State and Federal camp grounds...$25-$35/nt
- some businesses, like Walmart - allow you to camp in their parking lots FREE!!
- On major highways we have "rest areas" where you can pull over and sleep

So depending on location it can be a small challenge here too. I would be interested in hearing from people with direct experiene wih this sort of travel. I am definitely interested in the more remote places, less toursity, off-the beaten path, the less expensive countries (if that still exists?)

Tarifa: OK, sounds good before summer crowds hit. I really loved that place when I first visited it.

Gotland: I've heard similar stories about the flora and fauna!! I'll definitely try to go.

My mothers side of the family is from Bonn & Dusseldorf, my girlfriend is from the Zurich area, perhaps we can make it to Munchen for a beer or 2. What about the Bodensee? any wind? I also heard the Neusiedler See (fixed sp) in Austria is good.

Thanks!

Last edited by robertovillate on Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

if your're interested in the more remote places, then forget about the mediterranean countries in summer. Ireland is definetly an option you should consider then, Kitedude is absolutely right.
Another possibility would be eastern europe, e.g. the baltic states, I believe there are couple of beaches posted in the in the Beaches section.

The lake you mentioned in Austria is the Neusiedler See, just outside of Vienna, but you won't be alone there either. But they do have good winds, haven't been there yet although it's just a couple of hours from Munich, which happens to be the home of the octoberfest as you probably know. So if you do want to grab a beer or two with me, then try to make it to Munich in the last two weeks of september, it's worth it.
Forget the Bodensee, big lake - very little wind. I can recommend the mountain lakes in the alps though, lots of thermal action, fresh, sweet water and mind blowing landscapes.

I really enjoy a lot of variety. I personally would not want to ride butter flats all the time nor waves all the time. If I had to pick one I'd go with waves though, hands down. I imagine Ireland can dish up some nice surf.

Yep, I need to check out the Baltic countries too. Just wonder which countries to avoid in terms of politics and security, theft, etc..

By the way...if anyone wants some ideas about kitesurfing in the US and differnet seasons...now's a good time to ask. Maybe start a seperate thread to keep it clear.

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